It's the stuff of PR nightmares - a company embroiled in its most significant crisis, one that has wider implications in society at large, with negative press and other opinion wherever you look, watch and listen; and photos (like the one in Saturday's Telegraph, above) presenting a carefree image of its CEO looking like he or she is thinking about anything but the crisis, its effect on stakeholder groups including employees, customers and shareholders, and how to get through it to the other … [Read more...] about TalkTalk: Is it time to RunRun?
Archives for October 2015
Changing times
"Did you remember to turn the clocks back last night?" That used to be a common question at this time of year when we wind our clocks back one hour to return to GMT (or UTC if you want to be more precise) after the end of British Summer Time in the early hours of the last Sunday in October (October 25 this year). I remember the physical acts of winding back the half-dozen or so clocks in our house, a few key ones the night before and the rest early on the Sunday morning. And the slightly … [Read more...] about Changing times
Authentically personal
Since Google started Google Doodles some years ago, the now-ubiquitous graffito-like illustrations appear in your Chrome browser on a near-weekly basis to replace the standard Google logo and mark the birthday of a notable public figure or event. Today, the doodles are often tailored to a particular country or region so marking a notable date that's relevant primarily to that country or region. See what's doodling on Google where you are. A doodle might also appear just for you, as I … [Read more...] about Authentically personal
Social media campaign winners showcased in #somecomms Awards 2015
The Emirates Stadium in north London, home of the Premier League football club Arsenal, is a terrific venue for an event such as the UK Social Media Communication Awards. the 2015 edition of which took place there on Thursday October 15. As befits a 60,000-seater stadium, the events part of the venue is fitting for a large crowd with space, facilities and excellent catering to make an enjoyable and memorable time for everyone involved. And so more than 200 people were there last Thursday, … [Read more...] about Social media campaign winners showcased in #somecomms Awards 2015
VW: Recalling a reputation
The Volkswagen emissions-test-cheating scandal moved on a few miles/kilometres this week with developments that saw the VW group headquarters and some employees' homes raided by German prosecutors and criminal investigators, the CEO of the US subsidiary hauled in front of the US Congress to explain what happened (and where he admitted he knew about the cheating in 2014), finger-pointing gets underway, dire warnings emerge about potential restructuring and job losses, and a share price that has … [Read more...] about VW: Recalling a reputation
The value of a valuable brand
Brand consultancy Interbrand has published its latest annual report and ranking on the world's top 100 global brands for 2015. The top 10 companies ranked by brand valuation, with the percentage difference in 2015 rank compared to Interbrand's rank of last year, are these: Apple - $170.3bn (+43%) Google - $120.3bn (+12%) Coca-Cola - $78.4bn (-4%) Microsoft - $67.7bn (+11%) IBM - $65.1bn (-10%) Toyota - $49.0bn (+16%) Samsung - $45.3bn (-7%) GE - $42.3bn (-6%) McDonald’s - … [Read more...] about The value of a valuable brand
#PRstack: How to get better at digital PR
Last week, a new version of #PRstack, a publication whose content was created by more than 30 contributors, was published. It's the second edition of a highly-acclaimed guide and resource that was first published in May 2015. It comprises a series of case studies by PR practitioners exploring modern aspects of PR practice in over 40 examples of tools used in public relations, content marketing, and search engine optimization. From the ebook's foreword written by Stephen Waddington, who … [Read more...] about #PRstack: How to get better at digital PR
Add “to Volkswagen” to the business lexicon
As the Volkswagen emissions-testing-fiddling scandal rolls on - and is getting much worse for the beleaguered German firm - speculation grows that other car makers are also gaming the system. If the testing methods used in countries around the world are so predictable that knowing exactly how they work offers ready temptation to circumvent tests in ways that don't really seem wrong - it's just a little cheating, don't you know? - it seems credible to take the view that this surely must be … [Read more...] about Add “to Volkswagen” to the business lexicon